TODAY’S TOP TEN: SPORTS

WUHAN (China): Indian challenge ended at the Asia Badminton Championship after Saina Nehwal and HS Prannoy went down fighting in the women’s and men’s singles semifinals on Saturday. Saina, who had clinched her second gold medal at the Commonwealth Games earlier this month, played out of her skin but could not get past world number two and defending champion Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei, losing 25-27, 19-21 in an edge-of-the seat thriller. World number 10 Prannoy paid the price for being too erratic as he went down 16-21, 18-21 to the Olympic champion Chen Long of China in a 52-minute match. For Saina, it was her eighth straight loss to Tai Tzu in 16 meetings and third defeat of the season. She had lost to her nemesis at the Indonesia Open final and All England Championship this year but unlike those defeats, it turned out to be a thrilling contest as Saina gave ample display of her new-found confidence and fitness. (PTI)

NEW DELHI: Bowlers Shivam Mavi and Avesh Khan, playing for Kolkata Kinght Riders and Delhi Daredevils respectively, were on Saturday reprimanded for breaching the IPL Code of Conduct. They were issued reprimands for two separate incidents during the match between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Delhi Daredevils (DD) at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday night. (PTI)

Donald Trump warns countries that might oppose North American World Cup bid

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump tweeted support for the North American FIFA World Cup bid Thursday, and hinted nations who oppose it could face political repercussions. “The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup,” Trump tweeted. “It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?” (AGENCIES)

Iniesta to leave Barcelona at the end of the season

BARCELONA: Andres Iniesta has confirmed he will leave Barcelona at the end of the season after 22 years associated with the club. In a press conference attended by members of the first team and the club’s board on Friday, Iniesta said he wanted to finish at Barca “feeling useful, feeling important and still winning titles”. Iniesta is expected to continue his career in China but says his next move is yet to be finalised. The 33-year-old reiterated, however, he would never play against Barcelona. (AFP)

Paris St Germain coach Unai Emery to leave club at end of season

Paris St Germain coach Unai Emery announced on Friday he would leave the French club at the end of the season. Emery, who joined PSG in 2016, led the club to the Ligue 1 title this season, but his team were beaten in the last-16 of the Champions League by defending champions Real Madrid. (REUTERS)

Pogba says he is ‘judged differently’ in snipe at critics

LONDON: Paul Pogba says he is “judged differently” from other Premier League midfielders after a frustrating season that has seen him dropped by Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on several occasions. The Frenchman was widely criticised for a lacklustre display in this month’s 1-0 home loss to West Bromwich Albion that handed the title to Manchester City — the latest in a long line of disappointing efforts from the former Juventus star since his move to United two years ago. (AFP)

FIFA bans Brazilian federation chief over corruption

PARIS: Football’s world governing body FIFA said Friday it had banned the head of the Brazilian football federation, Marco Polo Del Nero, for life following a graft probe. FIFA said in a statement that the probe revealed that Del Nero had violated multiple articles of the body’s ethics code including those relating to bribery and corruption. (AFP)

NBA play-offs: Cavs and LeBron James face first-round series decider against Pacers

LeBron James was left bloodied as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ hopes of advancing to the second round of the NBA play-offs were dealt a blow. The Cavs were beaten 121-87 by the Indiana Pacers on Friday night to leave their best-of-seven series tied at 3-3. The three-time NBA winner suffered a cut above his left eye and sat out the third quarter but still hit 22 points. James has never lost a first-round series but his side will need to win Sunday’s home decider to advance. (BBC)

LOCAL

Churchill Bros down Goan FC

MAPUSA: Churchill Brothers Sports Club scored a 2-0 win over Goan Football Club in the Goa Professional League match, organised by Goa Football Association, at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Friday.

Uttam Rai opened the tally for the Red Machines in the first half, while Nigerian striker Francis Oneyama cemented their victory in the closing stage of the match with a superb goal.

However, this defeat made no difference to Goan FC’s standing as they finished the season on 4th place with 36 points, while Churchill has 26 points from 21 matches. (HERALD)

Shantadurga SC, Nageshi Youth in quarters

PANJIM: Shantadurga Sports Club defeated Candolim Association by 142 runs to qualify for the quarter-finals of the 2nd all-Goa panchayat level T-20 cricket tournament, organised by the Betim United, at Sports Authority ground Campal, on Friday. Electing to bat first, Shantadurga put up a total of 218 runs on the scoreboard powered by man-of-the-match Rajshekhar Harikant’s fine century (134 in 64 balls). In reply, Candolim were bundled out for 76. Mubarak Sheikh claimed five wickets for 29 runs. (HERALD)

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